BOS

Samantha Emerald Stone's book of Shadows
Sunday, February 17, 2008CHARGE OF THE GODby Ariadne, Coven of the OaksListen to the words of the God, who is son, brother, lover, and consort of the Lady:I am the fleet deer in the forest, I am the beach which receives the waves, I am the sun which warms the earth. I am the Lord of the Spiral Dance of Life, Death and Rebirth, the gentle reaper, the Winter Stag and the Spring Fawn. All things are of me, for I am of the Goddess, opposite, yet not opposing. I bring forth from the womb that is a tomb, for I am the seed which fertilizes. I am abundant Life, for I am the grain that grows and I am death, the harvest in the Fall. And I am rebirth after darkness, for I am the seed that springs forth anew.I am fertility, the spreader of Life, and I am the Lord of Death, which adds value to life.I am the Guardian of the gate between Life and Death. I am the King of the Underworld, where no living being may venture, but I am also the King of Rebirth, turning the tomb into a womb. I bring love and strength, peace and passion, hope and joy, for I am the gentle lover in the night. All that comes from the Great Mother, the Divine Star Goddess, who is Mother of us all.Posted by Samantha Emerald Stone at 12:56 PM 0 commentsCoven InitiationCandidates for initiation should be in good mental and physical health. They should also be of legal age and sought out the Craft of their own free will. [Modify or tone this down as your coven sees fit.]Before being accepted into the Coven (s)he should spend sometime learning about the Craft and magic and such. (S)he should know about practices that most people get uptight about. She should be told that initiations are perfectly safe and voluntary. Also, if at any time prior to taking the oath she wants to back out, she can do so with out fear or other recriminations.The candidate must chose a Craft name. This name should not be a common American name and must have personal meaning to the candidate.Traditionally the apprenticeship lasted for a year and a day. This is a good idea if it can be done. Before (s)he can be initiated, the Coven must vote. A single no is sufficient to not allow the candidate to be initiated into that particular Coven.This ritual is written for use in the woods. There has to be a path leading from the staging area to a clearing where afire can be lit. To save time, the fire should be setup but not lighted.The bathtub should be set up along the path and filled with warm water and the other ingredients. The water will also have to be consecrated.The candidate should be brought to the staging area by their sponsor. She should be wearing clothing that can be cutaway easily by a sword without undoing buttons or stepping out of pants legs. The candidate should be lead down the path by the sponsor. After a little ways a member of the Coven, the Challenger, should step onto the path. They might want to wear a mask. They take the sword that they carry and say:"Who comes to the gate?"The candidate, coached before hand, answers:"It is I, (new Craft name), child of earth and starry heaven."Challenger:"Who speaks for you?"Sponsor:"It is I, name , who vouches for her."The Challenger holds the point of the sword up to the candidates heart, and says:"You are about to enter a vortex of power, a place beyond imagining, where birth and death, dark and light, joy and pain, meet and make one. You are about to step between the worlds, beyond time, outside the realm of your human life. You who stands on the threshold of the dread Mighty Ones, have you the courage to make the essay? For know it is better to fall on my blade and perish than to make the attempt with fear in thy heart!"The apprentice answers:"I tread the path with perfect love and perfect trust."The Challenger replies:"Prepare for death and rebirth."And the Challenger takes the sword and cuts off the apprentices clothing till she is standing naked. The Challenger grounds their sword to the Earth. The Challenger should then blindfold the candidate and tie a cord around their wrists and one ankle while saying:"And She was bound as all living things must be, who would enter the Kingdom of Death. And Her feet were neither bound nor free."The candidate is led to the tub and bathed, while still blindfolded, by the rest of the Coven. While being bathed, she must remain quiet. She is helped from the tub and dried off. The candidate is then carried to the Circle. Everyone in the Coven, starting with the High Priest (Priestess in the case of a man), kisses her and says:"Thus are all first brought into the world, and thus are all first brought into the Coven."The High Priest (Priestess in case of a man) now leads the candidate to each of the four corners and introduces her to the Guardians, of course going deosil."Hail Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East and all the Mighty Ones of the Craft. Behold new name, who will now be made Priestess and Witch."The candidate is brought back to the altar. The High Priest kneels and gives her the Five Fold Kiss; that is, he kisses her on both feet, both knees, womb, both breasts, and the lips, starting with the right of each pair. He says, as he does this:"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways. Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar.Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty.Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names."For the kiss on the lips, they embrace, length-to-length, with their feet touching each others. When he reaches the womb, she spreads her arms wide, and the same after the kiss on the lips. The candidate is then measured with the other piece of cord, from head to toe. The cord is cut. She is then measured around the head and chest and knots are tied to mark these lengths. The High Priestess rolls up the cord, and asks the candidate:"Are you willing to swear the oath?"The candidate answers:"I am."The High Priestess asks:"Are you willing to suffer to learn?"The candidate answers:"Yes."The High Priestess takes the apprentice's hand, and with a needle properly purified by fire and water, pricks her finger,squeezing a few drops out onto the measure. The candidate then kneels, and places one hand on her head and the other beneath her heel and she repeats what is read to her. The High Priest says:"This is the Charge of the Coven:That I will keep secret what I am asked to keep secret, and never divulge the names or dwelling places of our people unless by their consent.That I will learn and try to master the Art Magical; but ever remember the rune: "What good be the tools without the inner light? What good be magic without wisdom sight?"That in due course I will strive to find a worthy pupil in magic, to whom in future years I can hand down the knowledge I acquire.That I will never use the Art Magical merely to impress foolish persons, nor for any wrongful end.That I will help the Craft of the Wise, and hold it's honor as I would my own.That I consider these vows taken before the Elder Gods; and that if I betray this Charge I accept as my just reward that retribution of destiny which overtakes those who basely betray the trust and confidence that others have placed in them. Know that none can escape the fate, be it curse or blessing, which they make for themselves, either in this life or in another life.The High Priestess says:"Repeat after me: 'I, name, do of my own free will most solemnly swear to protect, help and defend my sisters and brothers of the Art and to keep the Coven's Charge. I always keep secret all that must not be revealed. This do I swear on my mother's womb and my hopes of future lives, mindful that my measure has been taken, and in the presence of the Mighty Ones.' All between my two hands belongs to the Goddess."The candidate repeats the oath. The Coven shouts:"So mote it be!"The High Priest says:"Arise and be anointed"The High Priest then makes an X mark on the initiates forehead, breast and genitals while saying:"May your mind be free. May your heart be free. May your body be free. I give you the Craft name of new name"The rest of the Coven members grab her suddenly, lift her if possible and carry her three times around the Circle, laughing and shrieking. They then lay her face down before the altar and press her into the ground. Gradually the pressure changes to stroking. They chant her new name, raising a Cone of Power over her. The blind fold is removed and she is told:"Know that the hands that have touched you are the hands of love. Thus are all first brought into the world, and thus are all first brought into the Coven."The Charge of the Goddess is spoken and any other myths, mysteries, and secrets are revealed. She is also told the Coven names of all the members. The High Priestess returns the measure, saying:"In the Burning Times, when each member of the Coven held the lives of the others in their hands, this would have been kept and be used against you should you endanger the others. But in these more fortunate times, love and trust prevail, so take this, keep it or burn it, and be free to go or to stay as your heart leads you."The service goes on as usual, be it New or Full Moon or Sabbat. Before the Circle is opened, the new initiate is taken to the four corners again and introduced to the Guardians again.Posted by Samantha Emerald Stone at 12:55 PM 0 commentsWiccan Beliefs 1.) We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters2.) We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibilty toward our enviroment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and conciousness within an evolutionary concept.3.) We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometime called supernatural, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.4.) We concieve of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity - as masculine and feminine - and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used im magickal practice and religious worship.5.) We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconcious, etc.- and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as neccesary for our fulfillment.6.) We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honour those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.7.) We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it - a world view and philosophy and life which we identify as witchcraft - the wiccan way.8.) Calling oneself "witch" does not make a witch-but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and intitiations. A witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with nature.9.) We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and devleopment of conciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.10.) Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to supress other ways of religious practice and belief.11.) As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.12.) We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as "satan or the "Devil", as defined by Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.13.)We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.Posted by Samantha Emerald Stone at 12:54 PM 0 commentscharge of the GoddessThe Charge of the GoddessNow listen to the words of the Great Mother,who was of old also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Bride, and by many other names. At her altars, the youth of Lacedaemon in Sparta made due sacrifice.Whenever ye have need of any thing,once in the month,and better it be when the moon is full,then shall ye assemble in some secret place, and adore the spirit of me,who am Queen of all witches.There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery,yet have not won its deepest secrets;to these will I teach things that are as yet unknown.And ye shall be free from slavery;and as a sign that ye be really free,ye shall be naked in your rites;and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise.For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit,and mine also is joy on earth;for my law is love unto all beings.Keep pure your highest ideal;strive ever towards it, let naught stop you or turn you aside;for mine is the secret door which opens upon the land of youth,and mine is the cup of wine of life,and the cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immortality.I am the gracious Goddess,who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man.Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal;and beyond death, I give peace, and freedom,and reunion with those who have gone before.Nor do I demand sacrifice;for behold, I am the Mother of all living,and my love is poured out upon the earth.Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess; she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, whose body encircles the universe.I who am the beautyof the green earth and the white moon uponthe mysteries of the waters,I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me.For I am the soul of naturethat gives life to the universe.From me all things proceed and unto methey must return.Let My worship be in theheart that rejoices, for behold,all acts of love and pleasureare My rituals.Let there be beauty and strength,power and compassion,honor and humility,mirth and reverence within you.And you who seek to know me,know that the seeking and yearningwill avail you not,unless you know the Mystery:for if that which you seek,you find not within yourself,you will never find it without.For behold,I have been with you from the beginning,and I am that which is attainedat the end of desire.Posted by Samantha Emerald Stone at 12:53 PM 0 commentsThe Law of the PowerThe Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure or control others. But if the need rises, the Power shall be used to protect your life or the lives of others.The Power is used only as need dictates.The Power can be used for your own gain, as long as by doing so you harm none.It is unwise to accept money for use of the Power, for it quickly controls its taker. Be not as those of other religions.Use not the Power for prideful gain, for such cheapens the mysteries of Wicca and magick.Ever remember that the Power is the sacred gift of the Goddess and God, and should never be misused or abused.And this is the law of the Power.The LawWe are of the Old Ways, among those who walk with the Goddess and God and receive Their love.Keep the Sabbats and Esbats to the best of your abilities, for to do otherwise is to lessen your connection with the Goddess and God.Harm none. This, the oldest law, is not open to interpretation or change.Shed not blood in ritual; the Goddess and God need not blood to be duly worshipped.Those of our ways are kind to all creatures, for hurtful thoughts are quiet draining and aren't worth the loss of energy.Misery is self-created; so, too, is joy, so create joy and disdain misery and unhappiness. And this is within your power. So harm not.Teach only what you know, to the best of your ability, to those students who you choose, but teach not to those who would use your instructions for destruction or control. Also, teach not to boost pride, forever remember: She who teaches out of love shall be enfolded in the arms of the Goddess and God.Ever remember that if you would be of our way, keep the law close to your heart, for it is the nature of the Wicca to keep the Law.If ever the need arises, any law may be changed or discarded, and new laws written to replace them, so long as the new laws don't break the oldest law of all: Harm None.Blessings of the Goddess and God on us all.(Scott Cunningham)Posted by Samantha Emerald Stone at 12:52 PM 0 comments13The 13 Wiccan PrinciplesThe following set of thirteen principles wasadopted by the Council of American Witches, in April, 1974.1: We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.2: We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.3: We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called supernatural, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.4: We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity ~as masculine and feminine~ and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to each other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.5: We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc. ~and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.6: We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.7: We see religion, magick, and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it ~a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft~ The Wiccan Way.8: Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch, but neither does heredity itself, not the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.9: We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.10: Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the only way", and have sought to deny freedom to others and to surpress other ways of religious practice and belief.11: As American {Or World-Wide!} Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.12: We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as Satan or the Devil, as defined by the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the sufferings of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.13: We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.Posted by Samantha Emerald Stone at 12:52 PM 0 commentsCharge 0f the GodThe Charge of the GodListen to the words of the Horned God, The Guardian of all things wild and free, and Keeper of the Gates of Death, whose Call all must answer:I am the fire within your heart... The yearning of your Soul. I am the Hunter of Knowledge and the Seeker of the Holy Quest; I who stand in the darkness of light; I am He whom you have called Death. I am the Consort and Mate of Her we adore, call forth to me.Heed my call beloved ones, come unto me and learn the secrets of death and peace. I am the corn at harvest and the fruit on the trees. I am He who leads you home. Scourge and Flame, Blade and Blood these are mine and gifts to thee.Call unto me in the forest wild and on hilltop bare and seek me in the Darkness Bright. I who have been called; Pan, Herne, Osiris , and Hades, speak to thee in thy search. Come dance and sing; come live and smile, for behold: this is my worship.You are my children and I am thy Father. On swift night wings it is I who lay you at the Mother's feet to be reborn and to return again.Thou who thinks to seek me, know that I am the untamed wind, the fury of storm and passion in your Soul. Seek me with pride and humility, but seek me best with love and strength.For this is my path, and I love not the weak and fearful. Hear my call on long Winter nights and we shall stand together guarding Her Earth as She sleeps.Posted by Samantha Emerald Stone at 12:51 PM 0 comments